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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28086741">Stargate X - The truth is here</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JSLionheart87/pseuds/JSLionheart87'>JSLionheart87</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stargate SG-1, The X-Files</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/F, F/M, Multi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:33:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,484</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28086741</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JSLionheart87/pseuds/JSLionheart87</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Colonel Jack O'Neill gets infected with black oil on a mission. Agent Scully is supposed to support the Stargate team in finding a cure, while the presence of Major Sam Carter confuses her. The fact that General George Hammond looks exactly like her late father and finding out about the Stargate project is shaking her up to her core, while saving the Colonel's life turns out  to be everyone's smallest problem as a yet unknown and extremely powerful Goa'uld has a plan to end all life as we know it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Fox Mulder/Dana Scully, Samantha "Sam" Carter/Dana Scully, Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I have tried to combine the storylines of The X Files and Stargate SG-1 as carefully as I felt it was possible. The events in this fan fiction take place at the beginning of season 7 of The X Files and the beginning of season 3 of Stargate SG-1.</p><p>Obviously I don't own The X Files or The Stargate Franchises and don't hold any rights to the ideas or characters that I'm using for my fan fiction.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1>Stargate X – The truth is here</h1><h2>The X Files / Stargate SG 1 Crossover</h2><h3>Prologue</h3>
<p>At this point, there was no turning back. Looking down at the small hands that belonged to her host and therefore to her, she realized she had forgotten what it felt like to take control over a human body. Somewhere in the back of her own consciousness, she could hear a sound, no more than a whisper, but steady and strong. It was <em>her</em>. She had immediately known that this one was not going to surrender easily, but it did not matter. All it would take for her to erase everything that has been going wrong over the past thousands of years was to sacrifice herself and the life of her host.<br/>
The sensation of a chill caught her by surprise and reminded her of how fragile and sensitive this human sack of flesh and bones really was, especially when being left uncovered. However, she deemed it unnecessary to dress herself for in a few minutes’ times this body would cease to exist, just like everything else. The Goa’uld, the Tau’ri, Asgard, Nox, the entire universe including herself. It was no extinction or destruction in any way, but she would simply turn back time and give this universe and all its lifeforms a fresh start and a new chance for success. </p>
<p>
  <em>Don’t. Please.</em>
</p><p>Ignoring her host’s pleading, she picked up the ancient Alteran dagger with which she would ceremoniously open her sacrifice’s veins. Her blood would start the machine and once the process had begun, it would be unstoppable.<br/>
She heard footsteps, loud voices and something heavy that the Tau’ri warriors and their Jaffa friend were using to try to break through the stone temple gate. No need for her to be concerned though for nothing would be able to break through the spell protecting the entrance. </p>
<p>Bringing the dagger to her host’s wrist felt as if she had to cut through a solid material instead of air, which amused her for a moment. There was her iron will again that would not help her one bit.<br/>
Then a loud, almost animalistic sounding yell cut through the air, forming a name, <em>her</em> name: “SCULLY!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h5>Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station</h5><h5>El Paso County, Colorado</h5><h5>Early August 1999</h5><p> </p>
<h4>Sam</h4><p>“Major Carter, is this briefing boring you in any way?”<br/>
General Hammond’s voice struck her like a lightning bolt while heat rose to her cheeks. “Forgive me, Sir, but it just occurred to me that even though the atmosphere on P4X-478 might only show slight differences to our own we might face challenges due to the…”<br/>
“I’m sure you’ll think of something, Carter.” For a short moment, she held her breath and gave her direct superior, Colonel Jack O’Neill who had brusquely cut her off, a quick nod.<br/>
“Yes, Sir, I should be able to solve this problem.” Most people would probably mistake his demeanor as a lack of respect, but Sam caught the sparkle in his dark eyes and the hint of a smile he gave her.<br/>
Before having been assigned to the Stargate project, and more specifically the SG 1 team, Dr. Samantha Carter had worked at the Pentagon. Her expertise as a theoretical astrophysicist and her early studies of the Stargate technology combined with a set of skills she had collected as a member of the U.S. Air Force had come in handy on their interstellar missions countless times. Every member of SG 1 held Colonel O’Neill’s trust and cutting her off when she was about to get into scientific details was due to the fact that in his opinion there was nobody more capable of dealing with these kind of problems than her anyway. Therefore, there was no reason to feed him information he would forget all about within minutes.<br/>
</p><p>The truth was that for once, she had not been lost in scientific details, but in a fresh memory that simply would not let go of her no matter how hard she tried: Colonel Jack O’Neill kissing her. Well, not exactly her to be fair, but definitely Dr. Sam Carter. For the second time their team had been confronted with an alternate reality in which details of their own story had been slightly different and where the Goa’uld were more successful in defeating them and conquering their planet. In both of these alternate realities, she herself was not a member of the Air Force and only supported the Stargate project as a scientist. In both these versions of her story, she had also been married to Jack O’Neill. It was her very own Colonel though that had kissed Dr. Carter goodbye two weeks ago completely oblivious to the fact that she could see him. As well as General Hammond and everyone else around them. Being the reasonable person she was, she had told herself repeatedly that this had absolutely nothing to do with them, that after all civilian Sam was a completely different person than herself and that he had only comforted her since she had just lost her own Jack to the war against the Goa’uld. Why the image constantly reappeared in her mind was a mystery she was not able to solve, but there was no doubt she had to stop it from sneaking up on her in the most inappropriate situations. Being at a briefing with General Hammond, the commander in charge of the Stargate project, about their next mission was an excellent example of such a situation. With a sip of stale coffee, she transferred her attention back to General Hammond and her team for good.</p><p>***</p><p>She had no clue how many Jaffa she actually shot down while running towards the DHD, but she could hear the sounds of their Staff weapons all around her.<br/>
“Daniel, activate the Stargate”, she shouted trough the walkie-talkie attached to her uniform vest while taking down as many enemies as possible. The moments it took Daniel to establish a wormhole home felt like forever, especially since Teal’c carried their unconscious Colonel and was therefore of no help. They finally ran into the surface that always reminded Sam of water, while she could only hope her GDO had worked and they would be able to enter the base. She realized they made it back home when she heard the alarm while her vision readjusted. There was anxious movement around them and she could already see Dr. Janet Frasier running next to the emergency stretcher Colonel O’Neill was lying on. The wormhole closed and taking off her helmet, she tried to catch her breath.<br/>
“What the hell happened, Major?”<br/>
She quickly saluted General Hammond then followed him out towards a meeting room together with Daniel and Teal’c.<br/>
“Sir, at first everything went as planned and we were able to collect some samples, when all of a sudden we experienced a heavy earthquake. There was a crack in the surface and Colonel O’Neill and Teal’c fell into some kind of cave.”<br/>
General Hammond turned to face their Jaffa comrade. “You have possibly been exposed to whatever harmed O’Neill.”<br/>
It amazed Sam how graceful every one of Teal’c’s movements looked. Even a simple nod in a stressful situation like this would have put any member of a royal family on earth to shame.<br/>
“Then I want you to go ahead and let Dr. Frasier check you through as well.”<br/>
“I don’t think this will be necessary, General Hammond, my symbiote should be able to protect me.”<br/>
“I don’t want to take any risk, Teal’c. That’s an order.”<br/>
Another graceful nod and the gentle giant was gone, while General Hammond led her and Daniel into a room.<br/>
Incapable of sitting down now Sam paced around the room while Daniel told Hammond how they had observed a horde of what had looked like black, slimy slugs crawling up on their team members.<br/>
“First it looked as if they each stood in a puddle of petroleum to be honest, but it almost immediately started moving as if it had decided to do so. It split up in little fragments and somehow managed to move under their skin. I –“<br/>
She realized that Daniel looked pale and disturbed while he took off his glasses and absent-mindedly started cleaning them, as if he was looking for something to occupy himself with.<br/>
“Sir, I have absolutely no explanation for what happened”, Sam took over as if she was trying to solve a complicated formula. “The creature or whatever it is travelled upwards and before Colonel O’Neill passed out they were covering his eyeballs with a solid black mass.”<br/>
She could not help shivering at the images and was glad that Daniel took over again: “It didn’t have the same effect on Teal’c. It almost looked as if it was being forced to leave his body. It came through his mouth, ears and simply every… you know… opening.”<br/>
General Hammond took in all the information with concern and worry displayed openly on his usually calm face. “That would be all for now. Please make sure you let Dr. Frasier also have a quick look at the two of you.”<br/>
She wanted to ask how they would proceed from here on, but the door opened and Walter Harriman told the General that the Senator was on the phone for him. There was nothing left at this moment for her to do than making an appearance at the infirmary.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h5>J. Edgar Hoover Building / FBI headquarters</h5>
<h5>Washington D.C.</h5>
<h5>One day later</h5>
<p> </p><h4>Dana</h4>
<p>For a moment, she thought the basement office was empty when she gave the door a quick knock and entered, but then she could see Mulder’s back behind his desk.<br/>
“Looking for the truth on the office floor now?” She smiled while his dark red face appeared giving her an annoyed look.<br/>
“Actually I just dropped some files and now I need to reorganize them.”<br/>
“Mulder, you know that there is a reason why other agents have started storing their files on hardware rather than in paper form, right?”<br/>
“And make it even easier for intruders to observe my work? No chance, Scully.”<br/>
Normally it would have taken a lot of self-control from her not to roll an eye on her partner. Since not very long ago though she had been so scared of losing him that she had spent three months at the Ivory Coast trying to translate signs from a stranded spacecraft, right now she was still just happy to have him back.<br/>
“Did you eat take away gyro in here again?” For the longest time it had bothered her that, even after six years of working together on the X Files, there was still only his name on the front door of the basement office and that she did not have a desk in here. Nowadays she admitted to herself that she would go insane in his chaos and without a window to let in some fresh air. She might have to share her own workplace with other agents from various fields, but at least her desk was tidy and organized and she was able to socialize every now and then – something Mulder deeply detested anyway.<br/>
Although there was a medical report she needed to file waiting for her, she was just about to offer him a hand, when she heard the elevator door open. A quick look down the hallway presented her with the sight of her superior’s secretary.<br/>
“Agent Scully, I have been looking for you. Assistant Director Skinner needs you to meet someone in his office straight away.”<br/>
Mulder appeared at her side as if he had been standing right behind her all the time rather than crawling on the office floor. “What is it about?”<br/>
“I’m afraid he only asked to see Agent Scully”, she told Mulder in a harsh tone. Then she turned around and walked straight back to the elevator, where she held the door open for Scully to follow her. Changing irritated looks, she gave Mulder a shrug and then took off to follow Arlene.<br/>
“What does Skinner want from me?”<br/>
“All I know is that there are some Air Force officers that you are supposed to meet, Agent Scully.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Before entering Skinner’s office, she quickly checked her appearance in the window of his secretary’s anteroom. The other woman shot her a warm smile and a nod of approval, then she opened the door for her and Scully walked in.<br/>
Skinner rose from his seat behind his desk and two visitors also stood up from the chairs opposite of him in order to greet Scully. First, her attention was automatically drawn to a tall woman with a blonde pixie cut that was wearing a blue Air Force uniform, but then she heard Skinner say: “Agent Scully, let me introduce you to General George Hammond from the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station.” She forced her look away from the woman and when she laid eyes on a bald man, she instinctively held her breath while shock floated her body leaving goose bumps all over her skin.<br/>
“Dr. Scully, it’s a pleasure to meet you. This is Major Samantha Carter.” His voice felt like a slap in her face and all of a sudden, Scully wondered if she was even awake. Was this some kind of weird dream or a cruel joke? How was this possible? Apparently, her surprise was obvious for everyone else in the room and the tall woman - Carter? – reached for her shoulder. “Agent Scully, are you alright? You look like you just saw a ghost.”<br/>
<em>Well, I think I just did.</em> She just shook her head while she tried to control her breathing. “No, I’m fine. Thank you”, she managed to say with a small smile while she shook Major Carter’s hand.<br/>
Skinner eventually led them to sit at the extra table, where there was more than enough room for everybody. Scully was relieved she was able to sit down and tried to keep her eyes from staring at the General and the Major for very different reasons.<br/>
It was Hammond who opened the conversation: “Agent Scully, we’re here because according to the Pentagon you should be able to help us with something you have come across while working on the X Files. Before I’m able to present you with further information, we need you to sign some papers. I’m afraid that this is a top secret case and will require absolute confidentiality from your side.”<br/>
He handed her a brown folder with the necessary paperwork and gave her a sincere look. “I really have to stress this point, Agent Scully, but everything you’re about to hear and see has to be kept a secret. From absolutely everyone.”<br/>
“Absolutely EVERYONE”, Skinner repeated and the tone in his voice and the stern look on his face underlined the fact that they were talking about Mulder.<br/>
She swallowed hard and let the folder rest untouched in front of her. “Forgive me, General, but you said that this has something to do with my work on the X Files. Agent Mulder could be of even more use than I could then. After all he’s the expert.”<br/>
“I’m afraid the problem lies within the exact nature of Agent Mulder’s interests in correlation to our own work.” Scully looked at Major Carter who had addressed her now. “We need your expertise as a medical doctor and scientist that has come across something we’re dealing with before.”<br/>
Admittedly, she was curious. While reading the confidentiality agreement she was supposed to sign, Scully could not help but feeling that whatever she was about to learn and see was something she would never be able to hold back from her partner. After she had signed the papers, everyone rose again and General Hammond offered her a handshake. “Agent Scully, you will be flying to Colorado with us in two hours. There is a driver waiting for you that will take you to your apartment so you can pack some necessities for a few days.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h5>The Lone Gunmen residence</h5><h5>Washington D.C.</h5><h5>Two hours later</h5><p> </p>
<h4>Fox</h4><p>“And she did not tell you where she was going?” Byers had his arms crossed while he listened to what Mulder had to tell.<br/>
“No, she just called me on her way to the airport to tell me that she was flying to Colorado with some Air Force officers.”<br/>
“Colorado?” His three friends exchanged the kind of looks that, even after all these years, made Mulder feel like an outsider sometimes.<br/>
“Yes, Colorado. Will you guys tell me what you have in mind?” His voice sounded undeniably irritated and Langley eventually said: “Cheyenne Mountain.” A moment in which his counterpart obviously expected him to have some sort of aha experience passed by, then Langley sighed at his obvious ignorance. “There is an Air Force station at Cheyenne Mountain and one of our sources is convinced that they are doing some kind of research with extraterrestrial technology, especially alien-based ways for interstellar communication, there.”<br/>
Mulder swallowed, and then he sighed heavily. “Your source doesn’t happen to still live at his parents’ house, where he plays computer games when he’s not busy digging up so-called government secrets?”<br/>
“Hey, don’t you dare make fun of Lord Truthseeker, Mulder. It’s impossible to work a fulltime job while uncovering the truth”, Frohike insisted. “And since when are you in denial when it comes to the government keeping secrets from the public anyway?”<br/>
“I’m not in denial. I’ve uncovered more conspiracies than your Lord Truthseeker ever will after all. But why would they want to talk to Scully if this was anything to do with alien technology?”<br/>
There was silence in the small, stuffed room and eventually Byers sighed. “I’m afraid there’s not much we can help you with at the moment, but we’ll keep our eyes and ears open. As soon as we hear anything we’ll give you a call.”<br/>
“Wanna join us for taco and movie night?” Frohike suggested.</p><p>***</p><p>Mulder cursed when his keys fell onto the floor when he tried to unlock his apartment. It had been past midnight when he finally called a taxi. He would have to take another cap before work to pick up his own car at the gunmen’s, but his friends had filled him up with beer and tequila. After eventually managing his way into the living room, he kicked away his shoes. Afterwards he went into his kitchen to fill a pitcher with some ice and tap water, which he then placed on the table together with a glass. Trying hard to keep his balance, he stripped down to his underwear, leaving the rest of his clothes on the floor. No chance he would be able to sleep in his waterbed with the room spinning around him like this, so he crawled under the blanket on his couch. He finished half of the water in the pitcher at once and decided not to set an alarm for the next day. With Scully away, he didn’t really know which case he wanted to work on anyway, so there was no need to show up at the office early.<br/>
He should not have thought about Scully, but now he felt wide-awake. A few months ago, he had been close to death and while in a sort of coma, he experienced a different life. One where he had left behind the FBI and his search for the truth. And Scully. She had saved him with her work, her stubbornness, a lot of luck and her dedication to him. He loved her more than words would ever be able to describe and most of the times he was certain that she felt the same for him. Working together as partners at the FBI made it impossible to act on these feelings obviously, but for quite a while now he repeatedly caught himself wondering what would happen if he dared to cross that line. How would she react? Would she be willing to cross it with him? A memory flashed before his eyes. Scully in front of him in the hallway telling him that she was going to quit the FBI because they were going to transfer her due to false accusations. It almost happened. He had been about to kiss her and he had seen in her eyes that she knew what was going on. She had wanted it just as much as him, but then this stupid bee ruined the moment. Now they were still working together and while at some moments, he felt closer to her than ever, she seemed eager to keep a professional distance. Sometimes he wondered if maybe he had missed his slot. Had their relationship lost all romantic appeal in Scully’s eyes by now? He didn’t realize how he eventually fell asleep over his thoughts.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h5>Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station</h5>
<h5>The same time</h5><p> </p>
<h4>Dana</h4><p>She had been led into a small and not very comfortable kind of guestroom that at least offered her a bed to sleep in and a wardrobe for her clothes. She took out her cellphone already knowing that since they were deep in the underground she would not have service anyway. It was almost midnight which meant it was 2a.m. in D.C. Hopefully Mulder would be asleep by now but if she tried to call him, there was no doubt he would answer his phone within an instant. 
“Oh my God, mom.” Closing her eyes, she took some deep breaths while she remembered that she had promised Margaret Scully to come over for dinner. She could literally hear the message on her answering machine: <em>Dana, this is mom. I hope you’re alright. Please call me when you hear this.</em></p><p>With a heavy sigh, she got back on her feet, left her room and felt relieved to run into Major Carter immediately, who now wore a simple black shirt and camouflage pants.
“Major Carter.”<br/>
“You can call me Sam, Agent Scully.”<br/>
“Well, Sam, then please feel free to call me Dana.”<br/>
The two women exchanged a smile while Scully once again noticed their difference in height and wished she had not dropped her heels as soon as she had entered her room. Now she was basically barefoot, as her pantyhose didn’t exactly make any difference.<br/>
“How can I help you, Dana?” The fact that talking to Sam gave her butterflies caught Scully completely off guard and she blushed.<br/>
“Well, I just remembered I should have informed… someone…” Looking for the correct words, she realized that she needed to clarify that she was not going to call Mulder. She cleared her throat. “To be honest I completely forgot to cancel my dinner plans with my mom and I’m afraid she could be worried now.”<br/>
Sam beamed her the brightest of smiles that for some reason made those butterflies in her stomach go insane. “No problem. You can use the phone in my office.”<br/>
She followed Major Carter to said office and was left alone to dial her mother’s number. It only ringed twice before someone answered the phone: “Margaret Scully.”<br/>
“Mom. It’s me.”<br/>
“Goodness, Dana. Thank God you’re calling. I was about to try and reach Fox.”<br/>
“Mom, I’m fine. Sorry I forgot to give you a call, but a lot happened today.”<br/>
“Where are you now?”<br/>
“In Colorado. Look, mom, I can’t really talk about what I’m working on right now. I just wanted to let you know that I’m alright and that there’s nothing for you to worry about, okay?”<br/>
“Okay, sweetheart. Take care.”<br/>
“I will. Bye mom.”<br/>
After she’d hung up Dana sat back in Sam’s seat and thought about General Hammond for a moment. How was it possible that this man, who up to this day had been a complete stranger to her, looked exactly like her late father? Was it possible that this was but a coincidence? After all everyone was supposed to have a doppelganger somewhere. The scientist in her almost immediately scoffed at her for bringing up this folk wisdom. What was the actual chance of a pair of exact doppelgangers? Definitely not very high. These thoughts were pointless nonsense. If she really wanted to find out whether there was more going on than a cruel joke of nature she needed a DNA sample from the General and have it compared to hers. How in the world would she even bring this topic up though?<br/>
</p><p>A gentle knock on the door reminded her that she was still occupying Sam’s office. Quickly she got up and met the Major with a grateful smile.<br/>
“Thank you.”<br/>
“Not at all. Must be great to have a mother worrying about your whereabouts?”<br/>
Scully raised her left eyebrow in surprise. “I take it your mother…”<br/>
“… died when I was twelve.”<br/>
An awkward silence surrounded them for a moment, when Dana looked for the right thing to say. Eventually Sam shook her head and gave her a comforting look. “No need to worry about it. It’s been ages and I’m a big girl now.”<br/>
A little, almost relieved laughter escaped Dana’s lips since she had constantly thought about how tall Sam was. “Of course you are, but you’re right. As funny as it might seem sometimes that she can’t go to sleep when she worries about me, it’s wonderful to know that she’s there and that she cares.”<br/>
Silence rose around them once again, but this time it felt peaceful and warm. Dana remembered the last time she had felt this way around another girl and blushed again.<br/>
“I’ll walk you back to your room”, Sam offered and Dana felt defensive all of a sudden.<br/>
“Why? So I can’t sneak around?”<br/>
She could see utter confusion and surprise spread across the other woman’s face. “No, I just thought… I didn’t mean to offend you in any way, Agent Scully.”<br/>
Her heart sank as she addressed her in such a professional manner and she felt guilty for being edgy. Her mouth felt dry and the rest of her body exhausted. Before she replied she breathed out heavily. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long day and I still don’t know for sure if your Colonel has been infected with the same virus as I have been. I have to wait for some of my reports and some probes to be sent here.”<br/>
“But I thought you have definitely come across this... creature or whatever it is before?” Sam sounded alarmed and Scully could sense the distress the Colonel’s current state put her in. She swallowed in an attempt to moisturize her dry throat. “I’m almost certain that what you have come across is what we know by the name Purity. I’m afraid that it often comes in slightly different variations, but this is a lot to explain.”<br/>
“Would you still try to fill me in, please?”<br/>
Dana managed to cover her mouth with one hand before she yawned. “I will tell you everything I hope to know about this, Sam, but I need to get some sleep if I want to be of any help.”<br/>
“Of course. I’m sorry, it’s just…”<br/>
“…that you’re worried about him. Trust me I know this feeling and I will do whatever I can to help Colonel O’Neill. How about we have breakfast tomorrow and I tell you everything I know?”<br/>
“I’d love that. Goodnight, Dana.” Sam vanished into her office and Dana wondered if this woman ever slept at all while she turned around to make her way back to her room.</p><p> </p>
<h4>Sam</h4><p>Entering the cafeteria Sam scanned the room for Dana Scully and when she spotted her copper hair, she gave her a smile and waved while she stood in line at the food reception. Once she had a plate with scrambled eggs and bacon, another one with pancakes drowned in maple syrup and a strong black coffee on a tray she gracefully went to sit down at the table where Dana Scully was currently eating some cereal with fruits, yogurt and honey.<br/>
“Good morning, Dana. Did you get some sleep?”<br/>
An almost conspiratorial smile cursed the other woman’s carefully painted lips and Sam could not help admiring her beauty. Big, blue eyes combined with a perfect nose and sensual lips in a neat face surrounded by perfectly styled strains of titian red hair. Sam had rolled out of bed, gone for a run and after a quick shower, she had just thrown on a simple shirt, her camouflage pants and some boots. Her short hair was already dry so there was no need for blow-drying them and even though she put in some wax every now and then she usually never felt any need to do anything fancy with them.<br/>
“I’m the kind of person that can fall asleep anywhere and at any time. Unfortunately, I will sometimes even fall asleep during a surveillance. My partner could probably tell you stories about funny places I have slept at.”<br/>
Sam laughed at this confession. “I never would have expected that to be honest. You look like a rather flawless person.”<br/>
“I can assure you I’m not.” In that moment, some yogurt dripped at Dana’s blouse and she cursed. “Oh shoot. See? Definitely not flawless.” Sam grabbed her napkin and leaned over to help with the mess, but only ended up making it worse since now everything was rubbed into the fabric.<br/>
“I’m sorry, Dana.”<br/>
“Don’t worry about it. I will find something else to wear.” Dana gave her a warm smile that somehow made Sam forget that they were in the canteen rather than at a nice restaurant. While her opposite started eating again, she grabbed her fork and brought some eggs and bacon to her mouth. As much as she wanted to get to know this fascinating FBI Agent, she was also still worried out of her mind about Colonel O’Neill. Apparently, her thoughts were written all over her face because after taking a sip of coffee Dana said: “I wanted to tell you what I think I know about what happened to your Colonel. The truth is that we have indeed come across what seems to be a kind of intelligent virus-like alien lifeform named Purity. Agent Mulder had a theory that the government started experimenting with it after what he believes happened in Roswell in 1947. We have seen this black oil taking over people like a parasite. People that were infected would sometimes move amongst colleagues or friends for days without rising suspicion. In Russia Agent Mulder discovered unofficial and inhuman tests to develop some antidote against it. Last year a bomb threat against a federal building in Dallas turned out to be an attempt to cover up a contagion scenario. When we kept investigating, we came across cornfields in the middle of nowhere in Texas. There were also huge dooms with large bee swarms. I was stung by one of those bees and apparently infected with some sort of virus that we believe to be the result of human experiments with Purity. Because of what we learned at that time, we believe that the virus, or whatever exactly it is, has been on earth for far longer than 1947. Long story short, yes, I have seen what you described before, but as long as I don’t know where Colonel O’Neill got infected and without further tests I can’t really say what is going on with him. Has he been exposed to a purely extraterrestrial threat, as funny as this might sound, or is this something human made?” She sighed heavily while Sam swallowed hard.<br/>
“So far nobody here is willing to provide me with all the information I need, Sam, but I’m not sure how much I will be able to do without knowing what I need to know.”<br/>
There was no doubt that Dana was not exaggerating and Sam nodded slowly.<br/>
“I will talk to General Hammond about it and see what I can do.”<br/>
“Thank you, Sam.”<br/>
“Thank you for your honesty.”<br/>
Dana stood up, her now empty bowl and mug on a tray. “Now I’ll go and get changed, then you can find me in the laboratory when you need me.”</p><p>***</p><p>“I can’t make this decision on my own. I’d have to talk to the Senator or maybe even the President himself, Major Carter.”<br/>
General Hammond was speaking in a hushed tone from behind her, while Sam was looking through the small window in the massive door. They had established a quarantine zone were only highly qualified medical staff wearing protective attire was allowed to enter. From here, she was able to look at the still unconscious Colonel in his bed surrounded by blinking and peeping machines checking his vital signs and trying to stabilize him as best as they could.<br/>
“I understand why the government is hesitating to give so much insight to someone from an external organization and especially to an FBI Agent working on the X Files, but, Sir, we’re talking about Colonel O’Neill’s life. Dr. Scully explained to me why it’s so crucial for her to know about the details of his situation. She needs to know about Teal’c and his symbiote, too, because it might help her.”<br/>
Hammond sighed and paused for a moment and even though she could not see him, she knew he finally nodded in approval. “I will call the President directly. This should make things easier.”<br/>
As he walked away, Sam took a deep breath in order to calm her nerves. The worst part at this situation was that she could not contribute to finding a solution in any way. Usually she kept a cool head and came up with complex and even daring solutions for whatever misery her team would find itself in, but now she had to leave this part to others. The fact that Dana Scully seemed to be one of the most capable, intelligent persons she had ever met helped a bit with this feeling, and she decided that her part would be to try to remove any obstacle in Dana’s way. She would use her position, her rank and especially her friendly connections to everyone she had ever worked with to make sure Dana received whatever support she needed.</p><p> </p>
<h4>Dana</h4><p>“So what you’re saying is that the man I’m about to meet is…”<br/>
“… he comes from another planet, yes.”<br/>
She had been holding her breath a bit too long, which she just now realized when she finally had to exhale and breathe in again.<br/>
“I’m sorry, Sam, but this… you’re basically telling me that my partner has been accused of fighting windmills for all those years with the government not only covering up their knowledge about the existence of life on other planets, but with aliens living and walking among us?”<br/>
She felt an undeniable sting behind her eyes and did her best to fight back some tears of frustration while she felt sick.<br/>
“Dana, I know this must be difficult for you, but…”<br/>
“Difficult?” It almost felt like she was observing herself rather than actually speaking, but a wild mixture of emotions floated her body and would not let her contain them at this moment.<br/>
“All these years, Mulder’s search for the truth, you can’t imagine what we have sacrificed. What for?” At this point, there was no holding back anymore as her lips trembled, the tears started running over her hot face and her voice cracked. Sam looked sorry, overwhelmed and lost at the same time. She obviously did not know what to say to her emotional outburst and even though Dana immediately felt guilty of letting this all out to such a friendly person that just happened to be the bearer of bad news she could not help herself. Her sister Melissa murdered. Mulder’s father killed. Her own abduction, her cancer, the experience of finding her daughter Emily, created from her ova that had been extracted without her knowledge, and losing her again. On top of it, they had put their lives in danger so many times and fought against every attempt to split them up and close down the X Files.<br/>
“Look, I know that this is not your fault, of course, Sam, but it’s just a lot.” She eventually took out a tissue, blew her nose and dried her face. They were together in the laboratory were Dana tried to work as hard as she could to find a way to help Colonel O’Neill. While she was wearing a white lab coat Sam was still in her black shirt and camouflage pants.<br/>
“You’re right, I can’t imagine what you’ve been through and I’m sorry to see you like this.” Sam really was as Dana could tell, but right now, she needed to pull herself together instead of letting Sam’s warmth seduce her into more self-pity. To give herself a moment she took a sip of water, cleared her throat and rolled her tense shoulders.<br/>
“I’m sorry, I’m fine. This is not the moment. Please lead this man… what was his name again?”<br/>
“Teal’c. He’s a Jaffa and we believe his symbiote, a parasitic alien lifeform, has saved him from this black oil.”<br/>
Dana took another deep breath and nodded. “Right. Please lead this Teal’c in.”<br/>
Sam left the room and a tall dark skinned man with a majestic face walked in. Everything about him was impressive. Even in his army attire, he looked like an ancient warrior king and an aura of strength and grace surrounded him. There was some symbol on his forehead that looked like it was made of gold, but as overwhelming his presence was, so far there was nothing obviously extraterrestrial about him.<br/>
“Hello Teal’c and thank you for giving me a chance to do some tests on you.” She felt a bit coy and nervous talking to him, especially since his face showed absolutely no reaction to her. Then he gave her a small nod and when he spoke, a deep, warm and vibrating voice filled the room: “I will do whatever I can to save Colonel O’Neill.”<br/>
He seemed no less loyal to his superior than Major Carter and Scully felt reminded of her own bond with Mulder. Whatever it was, that his team was doing it had definitely brought them close together.<br/>
“Well, I’m Dana Scully and I have been told that you are a permanent host to a parasitic lifeform that might have saved you from the black oil?”<br/>
“Indeed. Ask whatever you need to know, Dana Scully.”<br/>
“First I will need a blood sample so I can run some tests.”<br/>
Another nod that she took as an approval so she prepared everything she would need.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h5>Isfet’s Ha’tak (Mothership)
</h5>
<h5>At the far end of the Milky Way</h5><p> </p>
<h4>Shaq’ral</h4>
<p>She straightened her shoulders and checked the posture of the Jaffa under her command with a quick look. Her goddess Isfet tolerated no weakness or any misfit behavior. Now that Shaq’ral had been named First Prime of Isfet, she would serve with pride, strength and dignity, even though she could still feel a sense of resistance from some of her male subordinates. Nobody dared to question their goddesses’ decision in public though and everyone that ever witnessed Shaq’ral on the battlefield knew about her skills. Escorted by four warriors she entered the bridge, where her eyes fell on Isfet’s empty throne first. She quickly scanned the room and when she saw the goddess walk towards them they all fell on one knee as if they were one person. With her eyes lowered to the floor only Isfet’s delicate feet in ornate flat sandals appeared in her vision. The host that was blessed to share her body with the goddess was a surreal beauty with onyx dark skin and a perfect face as if a true artist had carved it into the noblest materials. The dark and intimidating voice of the gods filled the room and Shaq’ral held her breath.</p><p>“Speak, Jaffa.”Unsure about whether it would be appropriate to rise she remained on her knee while Isfet took a seat on her luxurious golden throne.
She cleared her throat. “Word has spread that the guard has risen, your highness.”</p><p>Silence followed her announcement and she was tempted to risk a quick look in order to evaluate the impact of her words, but she did not dare to really do it, so they all remained in their highly uncomfortable position while they waited for their goddess to speak. Not for the first time in her life, she wondered how her news could be surprising to a godlike creature, but she would never speak of her doubts to anyone. It was undeniable that the Goa’uld were their gods for the Jaffa depended on carrying their larval symbiote or otherwise they would die. Still there was this nagging voice in the back of her mind that kept pointing out inconsistencies. 
When Isfet spoke again, her words fed right into Shaq’ral’s thoughts.</p><p>“What else did your source tell you?”</p><p>“That it was one of the Tau’ri that use the Chaapa’ai who broke the seal.”</p><p>“If the guard is on Tau’ri now I will send word to Seth. We must prevent the guard from braking the seal.”</p><p>Shaq’ral closed her eyes at these words because she knew that it was unwise to be the bearer of bad news to Iseft. “Lord Seth is dead, your highness. He was killed by the Tau’ri some months ago.”</p><p>Silence fell around them once again until Isfet got on her feet. “Leave me alone.”</p><p>She felt relieved when she left the room, but her doubts echoed in her own mind.</p><p> </p>
<h4>Isfet</h4><p>Once her Jaffa had left her she stepped towards a statue of how the Tau’ri portrayed her thousands of years ago when her kind had started bringing them on different planets using the Chaapa’ai. Until recently, she had remained on a small planet just outside of the Milky Way with a decent population of future hosts for her offspring and her Jaffa. She had been careful to stay within her borders to avoid the attention of the other System Lords or of the Asgard.</p><p>There had been a time when her fights with her sister Maat had almost destroyed the galaxy and their father Ra eventually put an end to it. Isfet agreed on living with reduced resources on the planet he passed down to her while her sister felt like it was the time for more drastic measures. At this point Ra accepted an offer made by the Asgard to seal her in order to save the peace. If the guard had truly been released, she needed to act quickly because it was not the right time yet.</p><p>Since her father was dead and something severe seemed to keep the Asgard occupied enough to neglect this part of the universe, she had started to put together a bigger army. Her warriors were excellent and soon enough she reigned over Jaffa that had been loyal to small and now defeated System Lords before and over some of their ships.</p><p>She went to sit on her throne while she thought about her tactic once she would reach her destination. Tau’ri.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h5>Southeast Colorado Springs</h5>
<h5>9:30 p.m.</h5>
<p> </p>
<h4>Fox</h4>
<p>He considered his options while he sat on the bed in his motel room eating some ramen noodles from a little box with the TV airing some old MacGyver episode.</p>
<p>After he had arrived at his office this morning, he had searched for a case – any case – close enough to Colorado Springs to get permission to take a flight here. The journey had taken six hours including a layover in Denver, where he had tried to call Scully once again. The only sign from her so far was a short E-mail telling him that everything was alright and that at this point she still could not tell him anything about her assignment. Now that he was here he could just drive up to the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station in about twenty minutes, but it seemed a bit early for that. If Scully worked on a top-secret mission, nobody would be willing to confirm her presence at the station to him anyway. He considered writing an E-mail, but first he would try to give her a call one more time. 
He dialed her number and his pulse quickened when he heard the ringing noise, which meant that she finally had service. It felt like forever until she answered her phone.</p>
<p>“Hey Scully, it’s me.”</p>
<p>“Mulder, look…”</p>
<p>“Are you out of breath?”</p>
<p>It never ceased to amaze him how much this woman was able to say with silence, but he could feel her annoyance fade away and she eventually sighed.</p>
<p>“Yes, we’ve been out for a run.”</p>
<p>“We?”</p>
<p>“Mulder, all I can tell you is what I wrote in my mail.”</p>
<p>“I want you to meet me, Scully.”</p>
<p>“Meet you?” There was another short pause. “Mulder!”</p>
<p>He could not help smiling at her first confusion, the obvious realization of what he implicated and the hint of <em>I knew this would happen</em> when she said his name.</p>
<p>“We could meet at one of the parks or…”</p>
<p>“Just tell me which motel you’re at.” He gave her the name and the address and after they had hung up, he quickly threw his trash away and hopped under the shower.</p>
<p> </p><h4>Dana</h4>
<p>“Is everything okay?” Sam’s voice sounded worried after she had walked back to her. They had decided to go for a run together while she had to wait for some lab results. She had tried to isolate a specific enzyme of Teal’c’s sample and use it to produce an infusion that she wanted to test on Colonel O’Neill.</p>
<p>When her phone would not stop ringing and she had decided to pick it up, Sam had given her some space, but she could definitely sense her irritation now.</p>
<p>“It’s nothing, I just…” Holding her breath for a moment, she thought of the best way to deal with this situation. Looking at Sam’s open face and her big blue eyes, she knew she did not want to lie to her, so she released her breath and looked to the floor. “It’s Mulder. He’s in Colorado Springs.”</p>
<p>When she looked back up, Sam’s eyes had widened a bit and she seemed confused. “But how…?”</p>
<p>“It’s Mulder. He has his ways. I probably shouldn’t have told him that I was coming to Colorado, but even then there’s a reason why he keeps finding information the government tries to keep from him.” A small smile escaped her lips and Sam nodded eventually.</p>
<p>“So what will you do?”</p>
<p>“I’ll get changed and call a taxi.”</p>
<p>“Someone from the station could take you.”</p>
<p>“That’s nice but I can’t tell how long it will take and Mulder is already alert.”</p>
<p>Now Sam smiled and shook her head. “Sounds like quite a character.”</p>
<p>Dana laughed. “You have no idea.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>***</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Forty minutes later the taxi stopped in front of Mulder’s motel room. She paid, told the driver to pick her up again in thirty minutes and got out to knock on his door. She had chosen black suit pants with a green tank top and a thin black blazer. When he opened the door, it hit her immediately how much she had indeed missed him after only two days. His warm brown eyes and the boyish smile on his lips almost made her forget that she had been mad at him for coming here.</p>
<p>“Come in, Scully.”</p>
<p>She stepped inside, turned around to watch him close the door and crossed her arms before her chest. Even though she was happy to see him, his sneaking around was once again threatening to put her in a difficult situation. She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head a bit as a sign that she was expecting him to come up with a damn good explanation.</p>
<p>“C’mon, Scully, you knew they couldn’t just steal you away and leave me without any information.”</p>
<p>“But Mulder, this is a medical emergency, not an X File.”</p>
<p>“So you’re saying there is absolutely nothing going on that I might find interesting?”</p>
<p>“Even if there was anything going on, Mulder, I’m not entitled to tell you anything about it.”</p>
<p>He hesitated and to his credit, he obviously felt her distress and at least had the decency to look sorry. “Do you want something to drink?”</p>
<p>“Do you have beer?”</p>
<p>He gave her a surprised look and she shrugged her shoulders. “It’s been a long two days and I still don’t know if what I’m trying will be successful or not.”</p>
<p>While she sat down on his bed, he opened a small refrigerator and brought out two bottles that he must have bought at some gas station. He opened them, reached one to her and sat down next to her. They clinked bottles and Dana closed her eyes for a moment when the cold drink went down her throat.</p>
<p>“So how was your run?”</p>
<p>“Well I remember now why I don’t run with much taller people.” He looked at her in confusion and she smiled. “Long legs.”</p>
<p>He laughed and it eventually hit her that even though he still hoped to find out more about what was going on at the Cheyenne Mountain Complex at this point he was content to have her with him knowing that there was no need to worry about her. She felt tempted to rest her head at his shoulder while he now leaned against the headboard, but she resisted. In the past years, there had been several occasions where there had been closer body contact than seemed to be appropriate for two agents, but never had they crossed a line in the privacy of a motel room. Another sip of beer while she looked at Mulder feeling cozy and warm. She wanted to tell him about Teal’c, the man from a planet named Chulak, who carried a parasitic alien lifeform inside his body or about the Colonel that had been infected with the black oil. She noticed that he had locked eyes with hers and smiled weakly. The silence felt comforting and natural and it seemed almost wrong to destroy it, but that’s what she eventually did.</p>
<p>“Actually these Air Force people still deny me access to all information.”</p>
<p>He scanned her expression and then gave her a conspiratorial smile. “I see. Maybe some digging in the dirt could be helpful?”</p>
<p>She shrugged with an overly innocent look on her face while a honk from outside told her that the taxi driver was waiting. “I have to get back. I hope to find some lab results waiting for me that will keep me occupied for a few more hours.”</p>
<p>He also got up from the bed and escorted her to the door where they wished each other a good night.</p>
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